Taurine extended running time in aging-prone mice
Among 22 aging-prone male mice, those given 1% taurine water from 5 to 10 months of age stayed on a rotating rod longer than controls.
5 months, randomized
Limit: The rotating-rod test was a proxy for muscle endurance
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
Researchers tested taurine, an amino acid, in 22 male senescence-accelerated SAMP8 mice and 20 male mice from the aging-resistant SAMR1 strain. In this animal experiment, they randomly assigned each strain to 1% taurine drinking water or distilled water from 5 to 10 months of age. Taurine extended time on a rotating rod in SAMP8 mice. The resistant strain showed a similar trend, but the difference was not statistically significant.
In separate experiments in C2C12 mouse muscle precursor cells grown in the lab, researchers used D-galactose, a sugar, to induce senescence, a state in which cells stop dividing. Taurine reduced the area marked by a stain used to detect senescence. It also restored formation of myotubes, immature muscle fibers, that D-galactose had inhibited.
Why it matters
The work addressed whether taurine might help preserve muscle function during aging, including the ability of muscle cells to form immature fibers.
Caveats
The rotating-rod test was a proxy for muscle endurance, and the cell experiments used chemically induced senescence. The mice were all male; these findings do not establish benefits in people.
The paper
Guangxi Medical University; Suzuka University of Medical Science
Amino Acids, Jun 26, 2026, Open access
